Chemo Brain

Many people regularly ask me how I'm doing. I can say for the most part I'm doing GREAT! However, one lingering side affect that can be frustrating and embarrassing is chemo brain. Chemo brain you ask? Here is a list of symptoms chemo brain can have on cancer survivors:

• forgetting things that they usually have no trouble recalling-- memory lapses
• trouble concentrating--they can't focus on the task at hand
• trouble remembering details like names, dates, and sometimes larger events
• trouble multi-tasking, like answering the phone while cooking, without losing track of one of them-- less ability to do more than one thing at a time
• taking longer to finish things --slower thinking and processing
• trouble remembering common words--can't finish a sentence because you can't find the right words
• short-term memory problems
• feeling of mental fogginess
• trouble with verbal memory, such as remembering a conversation
• trouble with visual memory, such as recalling an image or list of words

and here are some interesting articles:

• Post-chemotherapy cognitive impairment
• Researching 'chemo brain'
• Chemo affects brain function for years: study

For me chemo brain is really up and down. I find I HAVE to keep my brain active or else it goes to mush and if I'm tired/fatigued in anyway it gets worse.

Since December I feel like its been really bad. I can get up to do something and then all of a sudden stand in a room wondering what the heck I was going to do (I mean completely blank - no idea - nothing) and multi-tasking can be nearly impossible at times (cooking and helping kids with homework lately has not been a good mix!). Forgetful. It's not uncommon to see yellow sticky notes around my house and I have to write EVERYTHING down and even that's not a guarantee that I'll remember. So I feel like I've become even more obsessive in thought because I'm so worried I'll forget. No matter how many times I go over a lesson plan when I go to teach I can't remember it, I have to have my material in front of me and then trying to express myself is humiliating as the right words just can't seem to come to mind. I need to reteach myself doctrine too as it seems I just can't remember the simplest things I've known all my life. The list goes on but this gives you an idea of what I mean when I say I'm struggling with chemo brain right now.

You might find me on facebook playing word games or playing Brain Academy on the Wii or reading....anything to keep my brain working! I'm not complaining its a fact and a side affect I have to deal with. Plus I'd much rather have it then be buried 6 feet under! I know that eventually it'll go away it'll just take time.

After School Snack

I was on my sister Tamsen's blog and she has a link to stick a fork in it so of course I had to check it out. It's a blog where she and some other women have been posting recipes and one of recipes she wrote is her popover recipe (aka yorkshire pudding). Now if you know my family well enough you'll know this is a must when having any form of roast for dinner along with lots of gravy! In fact my kids LOVE them so much I usually double the recipe.

I thought I'd try out her recipe (slightly different from mine). My recipe is very finicky with things like elevation, etc. (play a big factor in how they will turn out) BUT Tamsen claims hers are no fail so this is how popovers became the after school snack today I had to try it out!


No words can describe how excited my kids were to see popovers cooking in the oven when they got home from school! Of course while the popovers were cooking I went into the fridge for something and realized that leftover night is scheduled for supper and of course its pork roast and mashed potatoes....so why didn't I wait for supper to try these out?! Gee....sometimes I really wonder where my brain is.

My critique of this recipe. Not bad. They did rise a bit more then mine usually do but I found them way to eggy (is that a word?) tasting. My recipe doesn't have near the eggs AND my popovers can rise just as high its just not a guarantee every time. So I think I'll stick with what I've got but try a few different things (yep, I'm actually going to mess around with a recipe - something unheard of). I just might keep you posted on the progress but probably not :)

Random Thought

Sometimes when a thought or idea comes to mind for some reason it is analyzed over and over and over and over and over (get the picture) until I finally get rid of it. I have no idea why this thought is currently in there roaming around wasting much needed brain power so on that note I'm getting rid of it!

I have often wondered why people feel so strongly for the need to pick up and move or travel somewhere extreme to help the less fortunate? It's often watched on TV, read about in magazines, heard about through friends or we may even know of someone actually doing it. I often ask myself WHY do we feel the need to serve others elsewhere and WHAT about those 'in our own backyard'? One doesn't have to look very far to realize how much of an impact they could make in their own community, surrounding communities, province, country, etc.

If I'm sounding judgemental I'm sorry that's not my intention and I DO think people ARE doing a fantastic job wherever they choose to serve. I also realize that our less fortunate may not be as extreme as what we'd find in a third world country BUT they are still struggling and need our help just as much.

To me those serving locally are doing just as an important job as those who have chosen to serve off in another continent! Really the bottom line is that it doesn't matter who or where we choose to serve the less fortunate, just as long as we're doing it with a willing heart!

A FANTASTIC Week Because...

It was our 11th Wedding Anniversary

I completed work for a client without procrastinating

I visited with some wonderful woman

I was able to watch my talented husband enjoy his couple days off puttering around in the garage completing a project for himself

We have spent time as a family playing

I had my last inflation and a surgery date has been set

Another 6 month checkup was completed with my family doctor and all looks well

Today is Friday which means the weekend begins soon!

Happy Anniversary

Hard to believe its been 11 years since I married this guy! I am the absolute luckiest gal to have this incredible man in my life not only as my husband but as my best friend. He is the most dedicated, caring, soft natured, patient, calm, talented, cuddly, happy, and doting husband one could ever have. I need to remind myself daily of what I have and to not take him for granted.

I love you Les. Thanks for the past 11 years and here is to many many many more!!!

Even MORE Organized

So......I don't know if you remember a while back when I blogged about my weekly dinner menu? Here it is if you don't remember Loving My Weekly Menu Planner!

I do love this system but I finally made myself a new one and I might add that I don't think its looking so much like a little kids art project! (click onto the picture for a closer look). I still have colorful cards but on the back of each card I've also added where I can find the recipe that's why I'm even MORE organized now! I have so many recipe books and am always trying out new recipes that I was beginning to forget where to find them so this added feature can only save me time and frustration!!

Here it is......

Remembering Someone Special

Thoughts of my grandmother came popping up and I couldn't figure out why until I looked at the calendar. Today would have been her birthday. I often think of her but today the feelings were almost overwhelming. Oh how I miss her.

Muriel Palmyre Stock born January 6, 1931 and past away suddenly in her home on November 24, 2001 at the age of 70. Her example of doing the best she could, never complaining and always wearing a smile on her face has been a lasting memory. She is a women I admire.

What A Man!

For quite sometime now we've wanted to get a coat rack for our front entrance to balance out the furniture that is already against that wall AND because it would be useful. It hasn't been a priority nor have we found anything in the stores that we like so its been left.

Recently Les picked up a planner for himself and a band saw for his dad (was delivered to his dad when we saw them at New Years) from a guy he knows and decided to take advantage of having both tools at his disposal!

After looking at all our Arts and Crafts/Mission furniture books and pictures on the internet we finally found a coat rack that we liked but we had no instructions/pattern (whatever it's called) so Les made his own and this is what came of it...... of course if you want a closer look just click on the pictures OR come on over and see it in person!

Isn't he such a talented guy?!! Sorry ladies you can't have him, he's already mine!!! This is what our front entrance now looks like!

New Years With Family

Les was able to snag some extra days off after Christmas so like last year we headed to Salmon Arm to open up the New Year with his parents.

Of course we had to open presents as soon as we got there and THIS gift was definitely the highlight (yes, Eli is being goofy)! Thank you grandma and grandpa we LOVE it!!!

We were all happy to see our cat Freddie (most of all Eli, he's always missing Freddie).

The kids had fun in the snow. Although this year it wasn't as big of a deal because they've already spent hours of time in the white stuff due to the unexpected amount of snow we've received this year at home!

BUT most of all it was just fun relaxing and being with family!

The kids with grandpa & grandma Haddad

The kids with great-grandma

HAPPY NEW YEARS!!